Pretoria East comprises about 60 suburbs and offers a diverse, comfortable and relaxed lifestyle to suit any number of styles and tastes.
When it comes to a comfortable lifestyle with diversity in shopping centres, schools, medical facilities, nature reserves and entertainment, Pretoria East has it all. Centrally located to the highway, this area includes about 60 suburbs and continues to keep up with the times through continual development of real estate lifestyle facilities.
Perfect for nature lovers, Faerie Glen is home to the Faerie Glen Nature Reserve, a prime hiking, wildlife and birding destination that forms part of the Bronberg conservation area. In fact, Rhenosterkop offers a great view over Pretoria East. For your fashion shopping requirements, the go-to spot is Atterbury Value Mart, a factory outlet for brands such as Cotton On, Factorie and Adidas. It includes a Pick n Pay Hypermarket for your daily shopping needs too. Taking care of your health is made easy in Faerie Glen, with medical professionals delivering health care at Life Faerie Glen Hospital, a spinal and orthopaedic hospital.
Faerie Glen Nature Reserve
As a premier shopping, corporate and entertainment area, Menlyn is growing at a rapid pace, thanks to the multibillion-rand development of Menlyn Maine, dubbed “Africa’s first green city”, and the R2bn expansion of Menlyn Park Shopping Centre, which will see 200 more stores being incorporated into the centre by December 2016. Menlyn Maine will become the new city centre. Built along the lines of New Urbanism and including a casino, it is expected to become the address of choice for offices, shopping, living and entertainment.
Phillip Bruwer, a 36-year-old resident of Constantia Park, has been living in Pretoria East for 15 years. He says he enjoys living here because he can find anything he’s looking for within a 5km radius, whether it be a shopping mall, garden centre or restaurant. He says Pretoria East is conveniently located and is easily accessible to the highways. “The area also has some great schools, with some ranking in the top 10 in the country. With Menlyn Mall undergoing a makeover and trendy malls such as Parkview, Woodlands and Lynnwood Bridge available in Pretoria East, it is impossible not to spend money at the malls over weekends,” says Bruwer, “especially with load shedding”.
View from Union Gardens
Brooklyn is renowned as a centre for the arts, embassies – Italy, Ukraine and Cyprus, to name a few – and shopping. Fried Contemporary art gallery focuses on curated exhibitions by South African artists. The first exhibition at its Collector’s Room, titled Capital Past, includes the works of artists with a strong connection to Pretoria, such as Alexis Preller and Sydney Kumalo. For top-class shopping and dining, Brooklyn Mall and the Design Square provide national and specialist retail stores, home interior stores and restaurants.
Silverlakes is one of the most sought-after and most family-friendly suburbs in Pretoria East and is centred around Silver Lakes Golf Estate, Six Fountains Residential Estate, Willow Acres Estate and Hazeldean Estate. Modern, spacious houses with extensive gardens and entertainment areas are the norm here. Facilities include tennis courts, squash courts and golf courses. Just off Silverlakes Road lies Farm Inn Country Hotel and Wildlife Sanctuary, where guests can see lion, leopard and cheetah. Top public and private schools in Silverlakes include Curro Hazeldean Primary School and College, Laerskool Tygerpoort and Tyger Valley College.
Nikki Brummelkamp, a 34-year-old resident of Wapadrand, has been living in Pretoria East for 13 years and says she enjoys living in the area because the people are down to earth and she feels safe in her suburb. She enjoys seeing the well-established plant life, the big trees and the well-kept gardens in the area. “The Gautrain station nearby is a convenient and safe transport alternative to spending time in your car in traffic. The area also has modern shopping centres such as the Grove Mall, with movies, an ice-skating rink and trendy shops,” says Nikki.
With so many diverse suburbs, Pretoria East continues to be a leading area in Pretoria, with scenic views and a host of vibrant shopping, corporate and entertainment amenities. A mix of classic and modern properties and facilities in the area cater for both old and young.
Pretoria East Property
Things to do in and around Pretoria East
- Go for a hike in Faerie Glen Nature Reserve.
- View an art collection at Fried Contemporary Art Gallery in Brooklyn.
- Visit the new wing of Menlyn Park Shopping Centre.
- Go on a game drive at Farm Inn Country Hotel and Wildlife Sanctuary.
Property prices in Pretoria East
- A typical property for sale in Claremont is a four-bedroom house at an average asking price of R3,012m
- 67% of properties for sale are houses
- 25% of properties for sale are in a complexes, at an average asking price of R1,22m
- 8% of properties for sale are flats, at an average asking price of R900,000
- Average monthly rental for a three-bedroom house: R15,000
Demand
Properties for sale in Pretoria East comprise 4% of the total sales listings in Gauteng. They receive:
- 4% of the interest
- 4% of the total rental listings
for the province.
This article originally appeared in Neighbourhood, Sunday Times.
